Toy car



Sept. 13, 1932- c. A. HEISLER ET AL 1,877,661

TOY GAR- Filed April 12, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 O Y Z1 Z! I vENToR$ (Ya'eA @516 77a ges Fl etc/151" 2 ATTORNEYS Sept. 13, 1932.

c. A. HEIISLER ET AL TOY CAR Filed April 12, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WENE#2 Mill-m INVENTORS He zsler A e Mm A oRNEYs Patented Sept. 13, 1932UNITED T STATES curs a EEISLER TOY Application filed April 12,

This invention relates to toys and more particularly to toy automobiles.

An important object of the invention is to provide an advantageous andnovel form L; of toy, such as an automobile, made up of a small numberof assemblages or parts adapted to cooperate with each other when placedtogether, and fastening means so simple in character that a child canreadily learn to 110 manipulate the same in fastening such assemblagesor parts together and. in releasing them to permit separation. Anotherobject of the invention is to provide an improved a construction whichis simple in form and 16: economical to manufacture.

In carrying out the invention in an approved manner, the toy may be madeup principally of a body portion, which may correspond to the body of anautomobile, a -80 supporting portion, which may correspond to thechassis of an automobile, and means for resiliently fastening themtogether. The wheels may be connected with the chassis P H portion bymeans entirely independent of the means for fastening the body portionto the chassis, and preferably are fixed on the ends of axles passingthrough openings in projections or brackets extending downwardly V fromthe chassis portion and held against re- 5 moval by said wheels.

The fastening together of the body portion and the chassis portion ofthe toy may be effected in a very simple manner as by forming theseportions with cooperatin parts which prevent relative forward anrearward movement thereof, and securing said body and chassis portionstogether substantially midway between the ends of the toy automobile bya resilient or elastic connection which may include a hook attachedtoone of said portions and a part on the other of said portions tocooperate with the hook. Preferably the body portion includes the hoodand the radiator and the chassis ineludes running boards, front and rearfenders, and front and rearbumpers.

One desirable way .to handle the invention commercially is to providewith each chassis several types of bodies .to be mounted thereon toform,for example, as shown in Figs.

PATEN.

* OFFICE AND THOMAS rrn'ronna, or nnvnnna, oHIo, Assrenoas ro man A, o.WILLIAMS company, or nnvmxmn, OHIO GAR 1932. Serial No. 04,838.

1, 2, 3 and l, a sedan, a coupe, a roadster and-a truck, all of thesebodies being con-. structed to fit the same chassis. Due to the verysimple form of means for fastening each body to the chassis, it will beeasy for a child either to mount any selected body on the chassis andsecure it thereto, or to unfasten the connection and separate the bodyand chassis portions, Furthermore, each of the chassis and bodies ispreferably of one solid color and by having a plurality of chassis ofdifferent colors, it would be easy within the range of colors providedto get any desired combination of chassis colors and body colors.

Other objects and advantages will appear upon consideration of thefollowing description and of the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a sideelevation of a sedan em bodying the present invention; I

Fig. 2'is a sideelevation of a coupe; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of aroadster; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a truck;

Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal section of the sedan shown in Fig.1;

Fig.6 is a'bottom view of the sedan; and Fig. '7 is a section takenalong the line 7 7 of'Fi'g. 5.

Referring to Figs. 1, 5;, 6 and 7, the sedan I there shown is made up ofa chassis portion 3 10 and a body portion 11. Preferably the chassisportion" 10 includes side members 12 having running boards 1200 at theirouter edges, front'fenders 13, rear fenders 14:, a cross member or rearbumper 15, a cross memher or connection 16 substantially midway betweenthe front and back of the car, a cross member 17 at the front of thechassis,

and a front bumper 18 extending across the front of the chassis andconnected by rearward extensions 19 with the side members 12. Near theirfront endsthe side members 12 areprovided with suitable means, such asdownwardly and inwardly extending brackets 20, to receive an axle 21which passes through perforations -22 in the brackets and is heldtherein by wheels 23 fastened on the ends thereof and preferablycarrying tires 24; At theirrear ends, the side members 12' arepreferably'provided with 10* downwardly projecting brackets'25 havingperforations 26 to receive another axle 21 held in place by wheels 23fastened on the ends of the axle.

Preferably the body portion 11 of the sedan shown in Figs. 1, 5, 6 and 7is made up of two parts, one part 27 at the right and the other 28 atthe left meeting along a vertical plane extending longitudinally andcentrallywith -res'pect to the assembled'body portion. The division of"the body into two parts is made principally for convenience in formingthem as, for example, by green sand molding. To hold the two halvesofthe body;

against relative movement along their plane ofdivision when they areplaced together, said halves or parts 27 and 28, which are il lustratedas open at the bottom, are provided with suitablemeans, suchtas ribs 29at their inner surfaces along their tops, fronts and backs whichalternate in position along theline of division and extend across theline of division so tliatthe ends of the ribs on each half or partengage the inner surface of the other part. With this arrangement ofribs 29 having projecting ends, the ribs at the upper part ofthebodyprevent upward and downward relative movement between the parts27 and 28 and the ribs at the front,

and back ends of the body prevent forward and rearward relativemovement. The two halves or parts 27 and 28 may be permanently heldtogether by any suitable means such, for example, as a rivet or tensionrod 30 extending from side to side. Preferably the rivet 30 is locatedimmediately above the cross, member 16 of the chassis portion 10 and therivet and cross piece are located substantially' midway between thefront and rear ends of the automobile.

The two parts 27 and 28 when assembled provide not only a two-part hoodand radiator portion 31 having on one of its parts aprojection 31asimulating a radiator cap, but also a two-part body proper 32,.theportion 31 being shaped to fit down between the front fenders 13 of thechassis portion and thesecond portion 32 being shaped, as indicatedinFigs. 5 and 7, to fit down over the rearfenders 14 of the chassisportion. lVith this arrangement relative movement between the chassisportion 10 and the body portion 11 either in a forward and rearwarddirection orin a transverse direction will be prevented when theseportions are held togetherby suitable means such as a resilient orelastic connection between the rivet 30 of the, body portion 11 and thecross member 16 of the chassis portion.

Preferably this resilient connection comprises a leaf-spring in the formof a hook 33 having a loop at one end enclosing the rivet 30 to providea pivotal connection and a hookportionofsuitable shape to engage thecross member. 16 of the chassis portion 12 between ribs 32a. The crossmember 16 is preferably flat and so shaped that the cross member becomesthinner toward rounded edges to facilitate manipulation of the hook 33to and from operative position as well as to provide for effectiveconnection between the hook and cross member. Preferably the book 33 isshaped with a portion 34; substantially in the circumference of acircledescribed about theaxis of the rivet 30 and'of; a length correspondingto the width of the cross member 16. The hook may be held againstaccidental release from the cross member 16 by a hump 35 formed by areverse bend atits free end, and additional flexibility in the hookmaybe provided for by means of a reverse bend between the pivot 30 andtheportion 34 of the hook. Thecon nection between the chassis portion 10and the body portion 11 is so simple that a child can readily learntomanipulate the hook 33 either to fasten them together or to releasethem from each other. In Figs. 2, 3, and 41-, there are shown otherembodiments of the invention which in each case includes a chassisportion 10 sub'stan tially the same as that shown in Figs. 1, 5, .6 and7 The body portions are, however, dif ferent,Fig. 2 showing'a bodyportion 116; of coupe type, Fig. 3- showing body portion 11b ofroadstertype, and Fig. 1 showing a body portion 110 oftruck type.

All of the body portions 11, 11a, 11b and 110 are adapted to fit on thesame chassis aortion' 10 and each of these body portions is providedwith a spring hook 33 pivoted on a cross member or rivet 30 to cooperatewith the cross member 16 of the chassis portion 10. Then, ifa chassisportion 10 and several difierent body portionsare sold in a set, thechild to whom they are given can with very little direction, if any,learn to mount any one of the body portions on the chassis portion 10and secure it in position or .toy release the connecting means andseparate the chassis portion and any body portion mounted thereon.:Thus, by combining the body portions with the chassis portion asdesired the child can pretend that he is drivin a car corresponding toany one of thedili'erenttypes of body portion furnished.

. The chassis portions and body portions can conveniently be coloreddifferently, and, particularly if a plurality of chassis portions arefurnished'with a set of body portions, this condition enables a largenumber of color combinations to be made by combining different chassisportions and body portions.

The foregoing description has beendirected to a preferred embodiment ofthe invention in the form of a toy automobile or car and, forconvenience, toy car may be taken as the title of the invention.Itshould, however, be understood that the invention isv of such breadthas to include within its range.

of equivalents other toys, such as aircraft, fire apparatus, rollingstock for use on rails, horse-drawn vehicles, etc., which have bodiesdetachably connected with running gear in accordance with the presentinvention.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness ofunderstanding and no undue limitation should be deduced. therefrom, butthe appended claims should be construed as broadly as possible in viewof the prior art.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a toy, the combination of a body portion having a cross memberintermediate its ends, a chassis portion having a cross memberintermediate its ends, said body portion and said chassis portion beingconstructed with cooperating parts to prevent relative forward andrearward'movement and lateral movement, front and rear wheels rotatablyconnected with said chassis, and a spring hook mounted on one of saidcross members and adapted to engage the other when the godly portion andchassis portion are assem- 2. In a toy, the combination of a bodyportion open at its lower side and having a cross member intermediateits ends, a chassis portion having a cross member intermediate its ends,said body portion and said chassis portion being constructed withcooperating parts to prevent relative forward and rearward movement andlateral movement, front and rear wheels rotatably connected with saidchassis, and a hook of spring material pivotally mounted on one of saidcross members and adapted to engage the other when the body portion andchassis portion are assembled.

3. In a toy, the combination of a body portion open at its lower sideand including two side portions fitting together at their edges toprevent relative movement and a transverse rod holding them together, achassis portion having beneath said rod a cross piece with its lowerside curved to present in cross section a curve substantially in the arcof a circle about the axis of said rod, and a hook comprising a portionto engage the lower side of said cross piece, a loop encircling said rodand a curved part connecting said loop and said engaging portion tofacilitate stretching of the hook.

CLYDE A. I-IEISLER. THOMAS FLETCHER.

